


The Shadow

by CaptArthur (anauthorsworld00)



Category: Law & Order: SVU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Mutant!Noah, Mutant!Sonny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27698297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anauthorsworld00/pseuds/CaptArthur
Summary: When secrets are revealed, who is to know what is to come of the team. Will they be able to ignore their differences and do what they have always done, solve crimes.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Olivia had been called from Noah’s school about him having a stomach ache, he’d been in a bad way when she’d managed to get him into her car and he was burning up by the time they pulled into the hospital carpark. She practically carried him in, worriedly asking for their paediatrician and antsy to get in and find out what was wrong with her son. 

They hadn’t been working on a case that afternoon but she still felt bad leaving all the paperwork to them. This was her baby boy and she just wanted to make sure this wasn’t another situation like the measles, he was up to date on his vaccinations so hopefully, it wouldn’t be any worse. 

They were only waiting a little while before they were called and a nurse bustled around them collecting blood samples as the doctor reviewed his medical history. Noah was hard to console out of his pained state and a strong grip on his stomach, Olivia could only rely on the little information she had been told by the school when she had gone to pick him up. 

The nurse gave him some painkillers to try and reduce some of the agonies he was in, at least enough for him to give them his side of the story with what happened before he had fallen this way. He wasn’t much use, he’d been playing with a friend when he felt the stabbing in his stomach and the ache in his head. The doctor looked nervous now, sharing hushed whispers with her nurse and worried looks at his labs. 

When she ripped up the papers and ordered the nurse to shred them Olivia knew something was definitely wrong, “Miss Benson, please listen before you speak on this, we are aware you are police and we would like to keep this between us for the sake of your son. His labs presented with a certain gene that if we programmed into the computer would have agents at your door before you even considered your options.”

Olivia felt her blood run cold, she had never once considered that he would come up with that gene but with all the studies popping up nowadays it was hard to guess who next would present with it, it was just their luck that it was Noah. 

The doctor kept her voice hushed even with the door closed, “we are going to record that this visit was for a stomach bug followed by all the correct tests and results, I am going to prescribe drugs that he should not take that is for the next part. You should take Noah home and keep him there for at least a week, this will not go away not until he presents completely, you should call this number, tell them you want one large cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza with goats cheese, and you’ll get through. Explain Noah’s symptoms and they will book you in for an appointment the next time they are in town. If you tell them his age and that he is just presenting they should get back to you in a couple of days. For the sake of your son and every other person that comes in presenting with these symptoms we hope you can overlook that pesky detail that is your job.”

Olivia was speechless as she nodded, she had heard of a network of mutants working together but she had never once thought she would need it after everything but she knew that she was not going to put Noah at risk just to make an arrest. 

“Okay, - the prescription?”

“That is for the group, they have trouble getting prescription meds so we help where we can. Take them with you when you get the appointment, it’s like a payment. They won’t ask for anything else.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Olivia kept the scrip close, the drugs the only way she knew that Noah would be getting the best treatment even if it wasn’t in a sanctioned hospital, but a doctor was sending them there so this at least had to be something she had to try. 

She settled Noah into her bed with the TV on and stepped out to call the number, she was on hold for a good number of minutes before an actual person came on the other line. 

“Marty’s Pizza, how may I help you?”

“Hi I would like one large cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza but with goats cheese please?”

“Hold one moment.”

Faint hip hop music filled the line until someone else picked up. 

“Symptoms.”

Olivia found herself surprised by the bluntness but she guessed it was easier just to get right onto topic rather than pussyfooting around it. 

“He has a raging fever, 103 four hours ago, 106 last I checked. His stomach is aching like crazy, he’s incoherent, he says his head aches and he’s suffering. He’s six.”

“Sounds like he is only just presenting, correct?”

“Yes, I was referred an hour ago.”

“Okay, we can fit you in in two days time, the address is Zuri’s pets in Brooklyn, if you come in around 4, approach the checkout and ask if they have any ginger chinchillas you will be brought to us. Does that sound okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“See you then.”

Olivia shouldn’t have been surprised by all of the secrecy but she was, it was also surprising to think of the many people that we're helping this organisation. It was well protected and she hoped to god she never had to investigate into all of this. 

Next step was to call Amanda and tell her she wouldn’t be in for the next couple of days, she wasn’t sure what Lucy’s thought on Mutants was but she wasn’t about to test it with Noah. It was just going to be her and her baby boy together in this apartment for the next two days before she got him to that pet store to see what was up, she couldn’t be more ready for all of this to be over.


	2. Chapter 2

The pain Noah was experiencing didn’t let up or increase any, he just continued to suffer for two days straight, he couldn’t manage much food with all of this but at least he could keep it down, he didn’t have any issue with that. 

When the time came to take him to the pet store she could hardly function as he whimpered whenever she moved him. She just hated that she was powerless to help him even with all of this, she just wished she had spent more time with the mutant community before they became taboo and were forced underground. She hated that she was supposed to arrest any of them onsite but was actively using their network to help her son. She would give up her job to keep Noah safe alive and healthy, this was just one chance to prove that. 

The man behind the desk nodded when she asked for ginger chinchillas and someone popped up from out the back to lead them down and out of the back of the shop and into a galley where she wished she had brought her gun. The young man walked them further into darkness until before she knew it walls were sterile white and many people were being seen in this big room with shower curtains blocking them from being seen by others. Most looked like normal people and then there were others with tails and horns which completely explained all the secrecy for a place like this. 

The young man gestured to a booth before he too disappeared, his mutation unknown by looking at him. Olivia kept Noah cuddled to her chest, she didn’t know what would happen if she let go of him but she didn’t know what she would do if left alone in a room full of these people who were not her enemy but didn’t feel like her allies either. 

A woman appeared, she was small and stout and had a happy vibe about her as she plodded towards them. 

“I just need to take some blood and then one of our volunteers will be with you as soon as he is finished.”

She smiled in thanks, helping as best she could to uncurl one of Noah’s arms from his belly so she could take some blood. Olivia didn’t like that she couldn’t tell what other peoples mutations were, how could she know to trust them except for the fact they had completely opened their doors for them as strange as they were. 

The woman drew the shower curtains closed once again but the facade of privacy was little, the bustle of the room wasn’t easy to ignore, a complete reminder of who was exactly in this room. 

There was a clatter next to the closed shower curtains and a shadow reared before apologies could be heard and it was pulled back. Olivia held her breath as she saw him but his head was buried in files as he spoke to them, “first time presenting huh? A special time, achy head and belly that’s an interesting combo usually means something physical manif-” 

He tapered off as he finally looked over his files to the people sitting in front of him. 

A light shattered above them sending several booths into darkness. There were grumblings and curses as people worked to get the lights back on all the while he stood there gaping at them trying to understand what had happened. 

Someone grabbed his shoulder and he flinched finally realising what had happened he breathed slowly, lights flooding back around the room. He nodded to the young man who had brought them in and apologised. 

“It’s okay Gordy, I’m fine. Tell Soot I’m sorry.”

Gordy nodded, turning tail and disappearing again as he shut the shower curtain and brought them back to a perceived sense of privacy and he sat down on the stool in front of them. 

“Damn, never thought this would be happening. So Noah’s presenting, doubt you ever thought about this day.”

His laugh was sad and broken and Olivia worried this was a completely terrible idea but Noah’s whining brought her back to the present. 

“How long have you been working here, Carisi?”

He leaned back and blew out a breath, “oh god, fifteen years maybe? I pretty much grew up in places like this, this place has only been active the last six months, before that we were practically a leap away from the precinct, it was easier to get to that was for sure. But we can talk about this more later, we’re here to see what Noah’s presenting as right?”

Olivia nodded, she wasn’t sure she knew anything anymore, especially if Carisi had managed to work underneath her for four years and she had never once suspected anything. 

Sonny reached out to rest his hand against his forehead and drew back immediately, he scribbled something down on his pad and then checked his watch, the blood work should be coming back shortly and that would definitely help in narrowing this down. 

“What I was saying when I came in is that generally when someone presents its either immediate or you’re fighting it which I suppose Noah might be. The new legislation and restrictions have made this a lot more common and you were lucky that there are more doctors on our side in paediatric centres than in general hospitals, a lot of cases present and then they are taken to detention centres, a lot don’t make it. That won’t be the case here I promise. On rule, if you present with a headache it will be something like telepathy or telekinesis and we can cater to those needs in our training, if you present with a bellyache its something physical, something in your body needs the chance to grow, so essentially growing pains. We don’t get a lot that present with both issues so I suspect that Noah is fighting this, knowing he’s already different be that its because he doesn’t have a dad and doesn’t want anything that makes him anymore different he’s trying to stop it before it takes form, this is actually really dangerous and we need him to present so we can work with him from there. Understand?” 

Sonny waited until it looked like Olivia had her head around it before he continued. 

“Knowing before you came in that he presented with both symptoms we put a rush on the blood work and labs so we can have a look at the genetic makeup to see how we can help. While we wait on that I need to examine him properly and I’d like a friend in here to help me do it, does that sound okay?”

He was posing the question to both of them and she knew he wasn’t going to go ahead with this without an affirmation from Noah too and she appreciated that. 

Once Noah nodded his head, too exhausted to do much more Sonny stood up again and waved another person into their shower curtained room. The young girl pulled a stool over towards Olivia and Noah and motioned for him to sit on it. She took his hand and Olivia watched Noah visibly relax. 

“Noah, this is my friend Jaz she’s going to help me while I examine you, is that okay?”

Noah nodded, Sonny leaned forwards and began to lightly prod his upper torso, “you let me know when I find the part that hurts okay?”

Noah nodded and Sonny continued, he wrote down every single time Noah flinched and before long he was finished, he let Jaz go back outside and Noah looked woozy. 

“Uncle Sonny, what happened?”

Sonny smiled, “Jazzy heals people, she took away some of your pain while I found which places really hurt.”

“What can you do?”

Sonny sucked in a breath looked towards Olivia worried for a minute before he turned back to Noah, he wasn’t about to let his introduction to the mutant world to be filled with lies and untruths. 

“I manipulate light and shadows, I have more of a proclivity towards shadows and darkness though, it was always easier for me when I was younger. What do you think you’d like yours to be?”

“None.”

Sonny blinked but he couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised. 

“Why do you say that, Noah?”

Noah shook his head. Sonny understood. 

“Listen, Noah, being a mutant isn’t a bad thing, I know it seems that way in the news but that’s because they don’t understand us. They’re threatened by us because we can do things they only dream about or watch movies about. We’re different so that makes us dangerous, but what about Jazzy healing you was dangerous, or the way I can make shadows dance? Sure some mutations can be dangerous but generally, it is the person wielding the mutation that makes it dangerous. Think about it this way, okay, me and your mom we carry guns and you don’t see us as dangerous do you? But if someone who robbed a store had a gun they are dangerous, we use the gun to protect people and some people use the gun to hurt people. Its the person who has the mutation that makes it that way. And you’re a good kid, your mutation wouldn’t hurt anyone, does that make sense?”

Noah nodded slowly, Olivia was surprised to think of it that way, it surely made a lot of sense and she figured Sonny must have to explain this to other kids more often than he might like to admit. 

“Do you want to find out what your mutation is now?”

Noah nodded timidly and Sonny took that as a win. The shower curtain was pulled aside and the short stout woman appeared, handing over a new file of papers and providing a small table from where Olivia didn’t know, she disappeared again closing the curtain as she went. 

“Okay, let's have a look at your labs then. For the most part, we can rule out several hundred possible mutations from the records we already have. It doesn’t help much if he has a mutation different than any on our records but its at least a start. They’ve highlighted several lines of code that are different to your human code, this means at least we know where you stand class wise. They’re bottom-up in terms of danger, generally, detention centres release class 1 mutants because they aren’t a threat and really they can do things like hear better or see better and they just don’t class them as that bad. Class 2 and up is a whole different story. The classes are for power level and mastery of that power so because I’ve had mine all my life my mastery is classed as a class 5 but my power level isn’t seen as too dangerous at a class 2 so I’m either a class 2 or a class 3 depending on who you speak to. Because you haven’t yet come into your mutation properly your mastery level is a class 1 and because we only have the general idea of your power capabilities these genetic codes suggest you’d be up with me at either a class 2 or class 3, this is good because you’d be a target at any higher of a classification and we can teach you to get on with your life without drawing any attention. Okay?”

Noah nodded, “so I’m not dangerous.”

“No,” Sonny shook his head and clasped his hands between his own, “you’re not a danger to anyone but if you don’t let your mutation manifest soon you might be a danger to yourself. Do you understand me?”

He didn’t mean to scare the boy but he had to know what he was getting himself into wasn’t just a game. 

Olivia leaned forwards, “how would he let it manifest?”

“We have programmes for it but not knowing how he is going to manifest will really limit us in where we send him. I would really like to teach him myself if that is at all possible.”

Olivia knew he was asking because she was his boss at work, he didn’t want to overstep and he certainly didn’t want to leave her son in the capable hands of some stranger. 

“I can speak to the bosses about some vacation time, how long would you need?”

“We’d start with a week, and if possible I’d like to take him away. We own a cabin in a reserve where whatever happens no one would be alarmed or call the cops.”

Olivia nodded, “I trust you, but Noah what do you think?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Sonny nodded, his hands squeezing Noah’s once again, “this isn’t permanent, power manifestation can take anywhere between a couple of hours and a week, you’ve already been presenting for three days now so there is a chance yours could be quick but I can’t promise you anything. And I want to tell you all of your options now okay? Once your power has manifested you have two options for how you continue your life, one is suppressants, I know many people who use suppressants to hide their genes and restrict any outbursts. Second is to train your mutation into control, I don’t take suppressants but I grew up a mutant when it wasn’t a crime and my entire family had been through theirs so I had help. Also if you wanted to do suppressants it doesn’t have to be full time, you could have them until you finished school and then stop taking them or you could learn to control it and then decide you want to use suppressants, do you understand?”

Noah nodded, “I-I don’t know.”

He turned to look at his mom who shook her head, “this is your decision big man, whatever you choose I have your back. Whether you want to learn to control your mutation or you want to go onto suppressants I will love you whatever you choose. It’s your decision.”

Noah turned back to Sonny and gave him a sharp nod, “can I decide later?”

“Yeah, of course. So do you want to come up to a cabin with me and see about your power?”

Noah nodded, he did. 

Olivia smiled, “do you have to leave right away?”

“We should, I have another couple of hours here so if you want to get him packed I’ll come around eight and we’ll head out. Sound good?”

“Thanks, Sonny.”

Sonny nodded, “Of course.”

When Sonny arrived windswept and flushed outside Olivia’s apartment at dead on eight she could say she was shocked and then there was Gordy stood with his hand on his arm and she figured the young man at least probably had something to do with it. 

She zipped up Noah’s coat and waved him away, not before remembering the scrip she hadn’t taken with her to the appointment. Sonny handed it straight to Gordy who pocketed it easy. 

Sonny ducked down to Noah’s height, “you need to hold onto me tight okay, and I’d suggest closing your eyes, sound good?”

He grinned to Olivia as he heaved Noah up into his arms and Gordy took his bag. It was within a blink that one second they were at the foot of her door and then the next there was nothing. 

Teleportation. Interesting. 

She just hoped their week in that cabin was successful, she already missed her son.


	3. Chapter 3

The cabin was off the beaten track, no one would find it unless they were actively searching or had gotten really really lost, it was the best place for a newly manifesting mutant to be.

Noah didn’t like that he was away from his mom but he knew Sonny wasn’t going to do anything to hurt him, he just wasn’t that way inclined. He kept the both of them entertained with dancing shadow creatures making the six-year-old believe darkness really wasn’t all that scary anymore.

It took them three days before the pain started up again and Sonny had to coach him into letting the pain wash over him, not to fight it. Noah started to realise that the detective liked his metaphors.

‘Let the pain wash over you like you’re a stone in the river. If you become the dam too much pressure will hurt you.’

He walked him through meditative exercises and kept his mind on the present rather than the future, to think of the what-ifs meant he would only want to dam his power and that’s what he was trying to teach him not to do.

Noah usually fell asleep midway through their meditations and from there Sonny would carry him to the bed and make his own on the couch. He would get his laptop then and give as much insight into a case as he could from his little cabin in the wilderness.

Olivia had told him that she’d claimed some of his vacation days for this little trip and considering how he never took them this week didn’t even make a dent in the days he’d saved up.

Sonny was woken up on that Thursday morning, red digital clock telling him it was 06:37 and that was way too early for the destructive sounds he could hear coming from the bedroom. The cabin had been constructed by mutant engineers so nothing the six-year-old became could ruin this place, it was inherently power proof as far as everyone knew.

He threw the blanket off of his legs and rushed to the room, he knocked on the door frowning at the continued noise but no affirmation that he was okay. He pushed the door open slowly, confused at the thrashing lump in the middle of the bed, swaddled in the blankets.

He reached forwards slowly and pulled the blankets away. He blinked as he stared at him, he’d seen stuff like this before, but never this.

_‘Sonny?’_

“No way.”

Sonny reached forwards and scooped his friend up into his arms, what was once Noah Porter-Benson was a little confused and frustrated, curly-haired puppy that could apparently speak to him telepathically.

_‘Sonny, what happened?’_

“You, my friend are a shifter, and apparently a telepath too. So that’s two skills we will need to brief your mom on. Come on, I’ll show you.”

He held Noah up to the bathroom mirror.

_‘Puppy!’_

Sonny laughed, “yeah Noah, you are an adorable puppy. I gotta send your mom a picture.”

He set him down on the floor and laughed as he tore around his feet, tripping and sprawling on his face as he tried to get used to four paws rather than two feet.

“Hey, sit still. Say cheese!”

He snapped a quick picture before letting Noah continue to explore the world of his new form.

He sent it with the text accompaniment of: / **Has Noah ever asked for a puppy?** \

* * *

Olivia looked away from the new information Amanda was presenting to look at the text she had just received. She was shocked to see Carisi actively making contact after expressing differently in the email correspondence that they shared every night.

She shook her head at the picture and quickly responded, / **Only every day since he met Frannie. Don't you dare.** \

She closed her phone and turned back to the briefing.

* * *

Sonny laughed at his phone and turned back to the inquisitive puppy.

“Your mom says you can’t have a dog.”

_‘I know, does that mean she doesn’t want me back?’_

Sonny shook his head seriously, “No way kid, I was teasing her. I didn’t actively tell her it was you, we gotta figure out how to train your shift before we go back and surprise her with this. I was asking because I wonder whether this is the only thing you can transform into. Did you go to sleep thinking about a puppy?”

_‘No. But I sometimes have dreams about getting a puppy.’_

Sonny typed that into his phone notes for later, it would be interesting to get a bigger picture of all of this for later but for now, he would just be focusing on Noah.

“We can see about that later. Our next job is getting you back to human, and seeing whether this telepathy is something you can do when you are human or it is just how you chat back when you’re a puppy. We have another three days up here before Gordy comes back and gets you home. If we haven’t progressed much when we get back I’ll just have to come by your apartment. We’ll get you sorted.”

_‘Sonny?’_

“Yeah, kid?”

_‘I don’t want to go onto suppressants.’_

“Okay, we’ll work on your control indefinitely then. No worries kid, me and your mom, we got you.”

It was then that Noah discovered a dogs passion for chasing his tail and Sonny decided training him back to human form could wait for another couple of hours.


	4. Chapter 4

When Gordy came back for them at the end of the week he found one human and one puppy play fighting in the grass outside the cabin. Sonny was covered in the dew of the grass but the smile and laugh he presented with were positives in all of this.

His hair was standing up in all directions when he finally grabbed the puppy and wrestled them both over to where Gordy was stood on the porch decking of the cabin.

Sonny set the puppy down on the decking and placed his hands on either side of his head, “okay, ready? Breathe …1…2…3… picture yourself human, breathe …1…2…3…, breathe.”

When he pulled his hands away he threw the awaiting robe around the small boy who was trembling without his layer of puppy curls. “Good job, Noah!”

He nodded to Gordy and waved them all inside, “pack up your stuff kid, time to go back see your mom.”

Noah grinned excitably before dashing off. They’d made as much progress as they could in the week they had been up in the reserve but that’s all they needed. Noah could now turn from puppy to boy with little prompting though it was always more trouble getting him back to human form but they could work on that. They hadn’t yet figured out the telepathy thing in human form but that was another thing they had time for.

For now, he wasn’t in any pain and he had a mutation that could be controlled, he would need to train meditatively for the next few years of his life to make sure that if he got nervous or angry he didn’t suddenly turn into a dog but Sonny would work that into his routine so he wouldn’t be relying on him forever. This was just another one fo those things he’d speak to Olivia about when he got back.

Sonny packed his own things away easily, he kept most of his stuff up here for the many times he actually slept here but his laptop and case files needed to come back. It wasn’t long before Noah was hopping back up into his arms, eyes twinkling with a newfound sense of life and Gordy was whisking them back to New York.

Noah rushed his mother when she opened the door and Sonny turned to wish Gordy safe travels and confirm that he would be back at the clinic that night.

“Sonny? Can I?”

Noah was bouncing on the balls of his feet, he’d been looking forward to showing his mom what he could do ever since he’d first managed it and Sonny was sure she was anticipating it too.

“S'up to your mom, buddy.”

Olivia looked nervous where she kept her hands clasped together but that was a realistic effort, Sonny knew that most people thought mutations were harmful and dangerous like all the ones you saw in the news, Magneto, Cyclops, Wolverine, sure Noah could be harmful, so could Sonny to some extent but no one was going to hear the word puppy and immediately call the police.

Noah screwed his eyes shut as he went through the breathing technique Sonny had been drilling into his head every waking second.

Sonny laughed at the shocked expression that came to her face as she watched her little boy morph into an excitable curly-haired puppy.

“The dog?”

Sonny chuckled, leaning down to pull at his tail mockingly like he had done all week.

“Yep, too late now, Liv. Go on Noah.”

_‘Mom?’_

She blinked as she heard it, Sonny frowned.

“You aren’t projecting just to your mom, kid. I can hear you too,” his eyes widened as he thought about it, “Don’t say anything specific!”

He pressed his hands to the sides of the dogs head and helped him to focus on his breathing, Sonny pulled a sweater over his bare chest as Noah stared at him worried.

“Sonny, what’s happening?”

“I didn’t think about it in the cabin, it’s a proximity thing, so everyone in this building might have heard you but I wouldn’t know without drawing suspicion. That’s another thing we’ll have to work on kiddo, I’ll put it on the list. For now, you need to work on meditation, I gotta speak to your mom a minute okay.”

Noah nodded allowing Sonny to steer Olivia away and out of earshot. Sonny was more worried now than he was before, this was just a lot they had to get him squared away with.

“Do you have any questions for me before I tell you about his programme?”

She shook her head, she wasn’t sure where she should start on questions and she’d rather hear from him first.

“Noah is a fully functioning shapeshifter with telepathic tendencies. I am unaware of his complete capabilities, but that isn’t uncommon, even I don’t know my full capabilities, and I’m 36. As of right now, there are a few key things we need to work on, his shifts aren’t easy but with extended use, it will be quicker and with less thought. The telepathy, I need to get him to focus on just one person when he speaks and we haven’t figured out how to use his telepathy in human form. He’ll need to work on daily meditation but he can do that here. I’d like to see him at meetings once a week and if possible more. There are some youth training groups I can recommend, mostly run out of churches and food banks. He doesn’t want to go onto suppressants so there is a lot of work involved in that. Are you okay?”

“That's a lot of work.”

Sonny nodded solemnly, “it always is, peoples mutations vary with how much control they have and how much they need. I spent my childhood in youth training groups if I didn’t every time I got angry a room would be shadowed with darkness and painfully I was scared of the dark. I can get you to contact details for people I know in the groups.”

“I-I trust you in this. If you think this is what he needs.”

Sonny nodded sharply, “kids who learn control at a young age pick it up so much quicker, there’s a possibility within a month Noah will have complete control though it may take years. No one can predict it.”

“I don’t know how this will work with our schedules.”

Sonny nodded glad she was aware of the problems that came with all of this, plus being unaware of the sitters' proclivity towards mutants.

“I have a few friends around the city that might be able to help but I don’t want to cross any lines. 1) We can see what Lucy’s standpoint on mutants is, she won’t remember the conversation, and if need be, I can give you the number for a charming woman who takes care of some of the kids I know. 2) I try to visit the clinic every night after shift, we can pick a day that lines up best with the groups and I’ll take him there myself and make sure to bring him back home to you after. 3) I can call a buddy about getting him one-on-one training with telepathy, most I know about shapeshifting is the stuff in the news.”

Olivia gaped at him as he laid down what they could do, she didn’t know why she was so surprised that he was this invested in all of this.

“I feel like I’m taking advantage of the system. We’re cops! They tell us to arrest mutants and now there are two in my house, and I would never… but…”

Sonny gripped her hands tightly between his, she knew the confusions she was dealing with, he battled with them every single day.

“Listen to me, the system or community that works for us mutants exists because we all want to live. Sure there are darker sides to it like The Brotherhood or fanatical like the XMEN but realistically what you are working with now is every day people like you and me. We’re a community and we fight for one another, at most to make sure no one gets exposed and at least because we revel in the beauty that is what our powers can do when we come together. You are not taking advantage, you are doing what you have to do for your son. And we don’t arrest mutants unless they are dangerous, you don’t see anything about mutants who can turn into dogs being alienated on the news, you hear about the nutters who can fire lasers out of their eyes or rip metal claws out of their knuckles. Noah is safe, and I’m going to make sure with all my connections that no one will know about him.”

“I won’t let them kick you out of the police.”

Sonny laughed and scratched his head, “unfortunately I don’t think that will be a problem,” he tapped his nose cheekily but Olivia should have known he had a way of sticking around.

She took a deep breath, “I think your ideas about Lucy, the groups and your friends is a good idea. I’d like to be kept in the loop but I understand if you can’t tell me everything.”

Sonny grinned, “good, I emailed you some meditation techniques I know work, if you just work them into bedtime or something that would be a good start. I’ll get on with speaking to my friends, see you at work, Lieu.”


	5. Chapter 5

Sonny swirled around on his chair for the second time that day and laughed into his phone, the other members of the unit weren’t clear on what he was talking about or who he was talking to but it was pretty clear this had nothing to do with work. 

“…Gonna stop by later? Aha wow, fair enough. Yeah six tomorrow, don’t you dare let Gareth start without me. I’m aware I work long hours, yes. Mhm yeah a dog, a puppy really, too cute. No really? Yeah, I know Raven, no one else? Damn, a new one for the books then. You checking up on me? Don’t be a tease Alex, everyone good? I’m glad. Look I’m still at work - dick - I gotta go. Yes, I’ll call you later. Jackass.”

He hung up and set his phone down turning back to his paperwork like nothing had ever happened. 

Olivia had begun to watch him differently, he was still for all intents and purposes the same Sonny Carisi as he had been before she knew he was a mutant but at the same time, it all felt so different. There was something that highlighted the fact that he was a mutant, she justified it was his quirks those little things that they had no reason to believe was anything other than him, the way darkness seemed to seep off of him, his shadows a deeper contrast than anyone else. It was never something she would have noticed before but now she couldn’t not. 

Then there were the phone calls, he’d had them before sure, but now thinking about the odd times and unknown numbers she knew in her heart that it was the community, that Sonny wasn’t just another mutant who volunteered there. There was something else about him that she couldn’t completely put her finger on. She was just relieved to know he was still a good guy, that knowing this about him cemented what she had already known about him, that he was willing to do whatever he needed to for his friends. She was happy to know that included her and Noah. 

“Yo, Carisi what was that?” 

Fin had had enough of pretending that after the week off Carisi had had he wasn’t any different. They were detectives for Christ's sake, there was no way Carisi was going to get away with it for too long. 

Sonny looked up from his paperwork and frowned, “can’t I take a personal call?”

“Yeah but that was pretty personal. You got a girlfriend?”

A quiet shift meant teasing over paperwork and it was Carisi’s turn this shift. Amanda had stopped trying to fill out her paperwork in favour of the newest drama in the SVU squad room. 

Sonny shook his head, “not that I can think of. That was my old buddy Alex, he’s been bugging me to go visit so he’s coming here instead to pester me into cooking him food probably.”

“Where’s he coming from?”

“Westchester. I don’t really get the time to go back up that way all too much.”

“You just had a week off!”

“S’that what all this is about?”

“How’d you manage to get vacation times in the middle of the busy season?”

“It’s always the busy season here. My grandpa had an accident I went to help him out, got him a little service puppy that we’re gonna train him up in the meantime. I couldn’t pull family accident because I needed more days so I took some vacation days and didn’t give them any other option. Plus he lives in a cabin in the middle of the back end of nowhere no one was gonna send one of my sisters up to help out so I went. Juicy enough for you?”

Fin acquiesced with his hands up and his eyes down at his paperwork. 

Amanda watched him for longer, not justified to ask anything more but not completely unsuspicious of it all. 

//

Sonny held Noah’s hand as they walked into the centre, he introduced Noah to everyone quietly, most of the kids already knew each other and were much older but everyone would be welcoming when all this settled down. 

He took him to the man that was hosting the group who held his hand out to greet Noah with a handshake causing the kid to grin in greeting. 

“You must be Noah, I’m Gareth. I grew up in these meetings with Sonny. Son, you gonna stick around?”

“Yeah, I told his mom I’d stick around.”

Gareth nodded, no one would be bothered that he was sticking around he just hoped that his presence didn’t stop Noah from opening up. 

He called the group to attention and Sonny took a seat between Noah and another boy who looked more 12/13. 

“Guys, we have a new member today, this is Noah, Noah tell us your age and do you want to discuss your mutation?”

Noah looked to Sonny who chuckled, “it’s your mutation kid it’s up to you.”

“Uh…hi… I’m six and shapeshifting and telepathy.”

Gareth nodded as Noah sat back down and he gestured for the other kids to continue in the circle. 

Lindsy - 10 - Persuasion   
Amy - 8 - fire manipulation   
Stephen - 17 - control machines  
Lucas - 14 - speaking with the dead   
Patrick - 12 - omniliguilism   
Petal - 15 - flight 

Sonny smiled this couldn’t have been a better group for Noah to meet with, they were each unique and some with more dangerous profiles so they could teach him more about what constitutes a dangerous mutant and a dangerous human. 

He blinked at the silence until he realised that Gareth was looking pointedly at him, was he serious?

Fine. 

“I’m Sonny, 36 and shadow manipulation.”

Gareth snorted, “you’re still sticking with shadow manipulation?”

“Easiest way to explain it, I blend better with the darkness than I do with the light and people call me Sonny it would be cheesy as shit if I was like I can influence the sun. Go on big man say what you can do. It’s your turn.”

“Gareth, 32, self-multiplication.”

“Yeah and remember there are stories I can tell about you so stick to the script Gar.” Sonny grinned teasingly, this felt like he was back in youth groups himself rather than just being here to support Noah. 

Gareth shook his head at Sonny but returned to why they were here anyway, “I wanted to discuss the progress you each made at your last screenings. Sorry, Noah, this will just be informative for you but at the end of every month we see where you’ve gotten with your control and then we discuss it in this safe place. If there’s ever anything you don’t want to discuss that’s okay, we’re here to be supportive of one another even with everything that has been happening…”

//

Sonny was driving Noah back to his apartment when the kid spoke up for the first time since they had left the centre. 

“How come there are laws on this?”

“What do you mean, Noah?”

“On us. Why does it have to be so secretive?”

Sonny looked into his mirror before he turned on his blinker and pulled them into a nearby lay-by, turning off the car he turned to Noah properly. 

“Noah, what did you know about mutants before all of this?”

Noah frowned as he thought about it, “there were wars, and fights and mutants are bad and they want to kill humans.”

Sonny nodded, he knew exactly where all of that was coming from. 

“Okay, what do you know about the XMEN or the Brotherhood?”

Noah shook his head, Sonny understood that too. Pretty much everyone had tried to strike both groups out of the media, both aren’t perfect, one was worse than the other but he understood the fight from both of their sides. 

“So the XMEN were a group of mutants who wanted to protect humans and other mutants. But they started because there was a threat from a different group of mutants which later became known as the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood want to protect the rights of mutants but at the sake of the human race, so they don’t care whether humans die because technically we’re the superior race, okay? And the XMEN believe that there is both a right for the humans and the mutants to live together. So that’s black and white. But then there are the humans who are scared because we’re technically superior and they think we want to rule them where most of the mutant population just want to live safely together with the humans. So there are three parties, the mutants who want to kill the humans that want to kill the mutants because they are superior, the humans that want to kill all mutants before we decide that they are inferior and aren’t worth keeping alive and the mutants like you and I that just want everyone to get their heads on straight and for us to live in peace. I get it, it's confusing but do you see where I’m coming from?”

“Maybe. I think so. Can we discuss it again?”

“Maybe later kid, your mom’s gonna wonder where I’ve gotten with you at this rate.”

Noah nodded, he understood and knew that Sonny was trying to be upfront with him about all of this even with everything, this was just another thing that was going to take time before he got his head around it.


End file.
